Upholsterer s web-stretcher



(No Model.) W. E. MORTON.

UPHOLSTERERS WEB STRETGHBR.

Patented July 15, 1890.

IIVVENTOI? WITNESSES A TTORNE Y8 mow-mum, wuumcrrou, n. :24

UNITED STAT S;

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM E. MORTON, OF FLUSHING, NEIV YORK.

U PHOLSTE RE'RiS WEB-STRETCH ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 432,428, dated July 15, 1890.

Application filed November 26, 1888. Serial No. 291,934. (No model.)

To a, whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. MORTON, of Flushing, in'the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved WVeb-Stretching Implement for Upholsterers Use, of which. the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to stretchers employed by Upholsterers for stretching strips of webbing in securing the same to chairs and other articles of furniture.

The object of the invention is to so improve implements of this character as to increase their efficiency by enabling them to be employed to advantage in securing strips of webbing at each side of a line drawn through the center of a chair-seat or other frame of circular or semicircular contour. This I accomplish by forming the stretching implement in sections that are adapted to be moved laterally at an angle to each other, as hereinafter more particularly described.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of my new and im proved implement, the dotted lines iudicating the position of one member when swung at an angle to the other. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section thereof. Fig. 3 is a plan View, partly in section, of a slightlymodified form. Fig. 4 is a side view of the form shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a plan view of a detail hereinafter more particularly referredto'; and Fig. 6 is a plan View illustrating the use of the implement in securing strips of webbing at one side of aline drawn through the center of a chair or other frame.

In practice the body of the members formin g the implement may be constructed of iron, in which case it will have the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2, or itmay be constructed mainly of wood, in which event it will have the form shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, the members A A of the implement are rabbeted at their adjacent edges, as at a a, to overlap each other, said rabbeted ends being rounded and pivoted together on a threaded pivot-bolt B, a wing-nut B serving to bind the two members at a given angle to each other. A washer b is preferably employed in connection with said nut.

The inner juxtaposed faces of the rabbeted ends of the members are formed 'or provided with circular racks a a as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1,which racks interlock when the members of the implement are brought together by the manipulation of the nut B. At the centers of the rabbeted ends a a the same are formed with corresponding recesses a whereby a pocket is formed for the reception of a suitable spring 0, said spring being preferably of the spiral variety and surrounding the bolt B. This spring,when press ure thereon is relieved by unscrewing the nut B, serves to separate the jointed ends of the members A A, disengaging the interlocked racks and allowing the said members to be turned with respect to each other. The memher A forms the head of the implement, the outer end of which head in practice is placed against the frame upon which the Web is secured, and in order to give the head a better purchase on the frame and prevent it from damaging the latter I face the end of the head with a rubber block D,which is secured in place by a dovetail connection, as shown in Fig. 2.

Instead of the metallic frame-like structure shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the body of the implement may be constructed mainly of wood in solid form, as shown'in Figs. 3 and 4:. When the body is so formed of wood, the circular racks a a are formed, as shown best in Fig. 5, of cast metal and of a combined thickness equal to the thickness of the body of the implement, and each is formed with an arm A by means of which they are secured to the wooden bodies through the medium of screws or like means.

\Vhen the implement is constructed of metal, the teeth E, for engaging the web in stretching the same, may be secured to a dovetailed block E, as in Figs. 1 and 2, the said toothed block fitting a corresponding groove in the end of the member A.

In the form shown in Figs. and at the end of the arm A is strengthened by a metallic sheathing, which consists of a face-plate g, from which extend inwardly the upper and lower flanges or plates g, the face-plate being formed with apertures through which the teeth E protrude; also, in the form shown in Figs. 3 and 4-, the head A is provided with teeth E which may be secured in place substantiallyin the same manner as the teeth E. This construction of the head A will answer very well for working on frames that are to be completely covered with upholstery, as the marring efl'ect of the teeth will be of no moment.

The operation is as follows: \Vhen the strip of webbing is to be secured to a rectangular frame or in a central position to a circular or semicircular frame, the members of the implement are brought into line with each other, and the implement used after the manner of use of the ordinary sin gle-piece stretchers now generally employed-that is, by placing it against the frame and in line with the strip of webbing. \Vl1en,howc\"er,a strip of webbing is to be secured to a circular or semicircular frame at one side of the center, the device is operated as follows, special reference being had to Fig. 6 of accompanying drawings: In this figure the circular lines 1 represent the circular bottom of a chair, the center of which is indicated by the line 2 2. To secure a strip of webbing to the chair at one side of the central line 2 2, the webbing I is placed on the chair-seat frame and tacked at its one end i thereto. The head A of the stretcher is then placed firmly against the op positc side of the frame in such a position and at such an angle to the length of the web et that the member A may be swung into line with the web, whereby the tension exerted by the stretcher on the web will be accurately in the direction of the length of said web.

From above description the advantages of my improvements will be readily apparent.

It is evident that the details of construction of the invention may be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention.

\Vith a view to clearness I mention that I herein employ the word laterally in describing the relative movements of the pivoted members as a sidewise movement of said members, the stretcher being assumed to be in its normal positionthat is, with the pivot of the members lying in the vertical or approximately vertical plane. Further, the movement of the members is referred to as lateral in contradistiction to the verticallymovable members of certain carpet-stretchers, the latter construction being inapplicable to my stretcher.

Having thus described my invention, what-I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A web-stretching implement for upholsterers use, formed in sections that are laterally adjustable to a position at an angle to each other, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination, in an implement of the character described, of two members pivoted to swing laterally, provided with circular racks on the contact-mg faces of their pivoted ends, and a locking device, substantially as described.

3. The combination, in an implement of the character described, of two pivoted members, and a spring tending normally to separate the said members on their pivot, substantially as described.

at. The combination, in an implement of the character described, of two pivoted members provided with circular racks on their pivoted ends, a locking device, and an interposed spring tending normally to separate said pivoted ends on their pivots, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and allixed my seal this 20th day of November, 1888.

\VILLIAM E. MORTON. In presence of- A. VAN DEWATER, WM. CLARKE Ron. 

